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A couple of years back, a contributor named April wrote one of the most visited entries on this site: Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen.Â Now, she’s contacted me to let me know that she’s written and directed a movie called “Before We Get to Seattle.”Â Here’s the description from the project’s website:

Itâ€™s 1991 and Chloe, a runaway, is leaving for Seattle with her bass player boyfriend, Slater. She dreams of grunge rock stardom and â€œgetting the hell out of Jersey.â€ Before the two hit the highway Chloe insists they stop off at a local deli to pick up supplies. Her real motive is to see her best friend Michelle one last time before she leaves.

Chloe has a secret and she desperately needs a favor. Michelle, who is very busy making sandwiches for a long line of hungry customers is both overjoyed and frustrated at the sudden appearance of her missing friend. Chloe and Michelle hide out in the store bathroom and are constantly interrupted by angry store customers while they solve Chloeâ€™s big problem.

You can read more about the project on its facebook page, or you could drop in on the filmmakers on Thursday if you’re in NYC.

I’d encourage you all to have a look, and to do what you can to support independent film!

A long time ago, Mcdonald’s used to give out these plastic lunchboxes.Â They weren’t special, and they certainly weren’t interesting (a quick Google search turns up no images of the things), but, for a time, I kept my whole world in mine.Â Then, at some point, probably around age four, I became aware of the difference between cassette tapes and the radio.Â My parents starting keeping more and more cassettes in the car, and, so, John Denver’s Greatest Hits could remain in continuous play from the house to the car and back again.Â (This was, I assure you, a desired state of affairs at that age.)Â I had one or two cassettes of my own, Muppets and Twisted Sister, if I remember correctly, and I was particularly pleased when I would get the opportunity to play one of these tapes in the car.Â There’s something about having music at your command, wherever you might go, that’s just so magical.Â For a long time, my father and I loved a PBS concert from Genesis’ Mama Tour.Â (1) When we would put the cassette on in the car, I would be instantly transported back to the time we spent watching it, and that experience just fascinated me.Â As time went on, I became aware of the power of music to shape and enhance the otherwise mundane time spent traveling from home to school and back.Â But after a time, I needed something more…and that’s where my McDonald’s lunch box comes in.

I just wanted to drop in and let you know a little about what’s in store for this here website.Â As you might have noticed, our podcast – Generation Goat – is now in its sixth episode, and we’re hoping to have guests, video, and other exciting bits in the coming month.Â On the blogging front, things should begin to pick up soon, as both dissertation and mono (boo) have begun to subside.Â So, look for updates in the near future!Â Also, it’s worth noting, we’re still looking for contributors.Â So, if you’re interested, send us your ideas!Â Lastly, this month will see the resurrection of One Imaginary Blog which has, regrettably, oft lived up to its title.Â So, keep your eyes open!

That’s pretty much everything.Â I hope you’re all enjoying the approach of Summer, and that you’ll keep coming back to share your stories and comments.Â As always, let us know if there’s something you want to see here, but just haven’t found yet (note: we’ve already been made aware of the “quality” thing).

And with that, I leave you with today’s random youtube video (after the cut):

Every now and again, I’ll have a sobering thought.Â The kind of thought that makes the world go still, and the air turn cold, and the hair on the back of the neck stand up.Â Today’s thought struck me with mortal terror.Â In looking at a list of songs that Britons want played at their funerals, it occurred to me that someone might very well play James Blunt at my funeral.Â And knowing how important music is to me, and that I run this site, people might feel that I had chosen such a song.Â And then, as in this life, the afterlife would be full of people who wanted to mock me.Â Only this time, it would be for eternity… Yikes!Â And so, with an energy and an enthusiasm I wish I could feel when working on my dissertation, I resolved to put down a few thoughts on the subject.Â And since it’s a curious sort of subject, I thought I’d ask your opinion…